Design Development

Use daylight simulation software to adjust daylight design as needed before it is finalized.

Option 1:  Computer Simulation

Fill out the LEED credit form with the names of the regularly occupied spaces and their square footage.

Glare can hinder the use of a space and be unpleasant for occupants. Daylight modeling can help project teams anticipate problem areas due to sun angles as they interact with the architecture. Exterior and interior shading along with associated controls can greatly reduce the effects of glare.

Identify designs that combine glazing and building elements for optimum daylighting, such as window frames with integrated overhangs or light shelves. However, make sure that there is a thermal break (insulation) between the interior and the lightshelves, or these could become large-scale radiators of interior heat.

Integrate glare control into the design.

Daylight controls, sensors, integrated blinds, and lighting controls come with moderate first costs but will bring energy savings over the long run.

Daylight sensors that adjust lamp brightness based on the presence of natural light can greatly reduce lighting energy loads. On average, commercial buildings use 25% of their energy for lighting. Dimming ballasts are more expensive and complicated to specify than stepped ballasts.

Installing photosensitive lighting controls and occupancy sensors can help Commercial Interiors projects achieve EAc1.2: Lighting Controls.

A common misconception is that a design needs to have more glass for effective daylighting. But effective daylighting can also be achieved with smaller apertures and glazing designed for specific indirect light, located high in a space to bounce light on to a ceiling.